The Lost Symbol vs The Martian: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Suspense & Thriller, Adventure, Fiction
The Lost Symbol
The Lost Symbol is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of The Da Vinci Code, and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Martian
The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It was his debut novel under his own name. It was originally self-published in 2011; Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-released it in 2014.…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate The Martian highest: The Martian 4.4 · The Lost Symbol 3.8.
- The Martian is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 12 for The Lost Symbol.
- The Martian has the widest readership — 1371712 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Lost Symbol | The Martian | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (672171) | 4.4 (1371712) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (2) | 4.7 (50) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (6) | 5.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (4050) | 4.5 (15280) |
Reception
| The Lost Symbol | The Martian | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 672171 | 1371712 |
| Editions | 121 | 74 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 215847 | 828289 |
| Reading it now | 21707 | 44140 |
| Written reviews | 32481 | 106172 |
| Wikipedia attention | 15883 | 38402 |
| Pages | 672 | 400 |